Building block



March 18, 1,941. E. T. PUTNAM BUILDING BLOCK mud uan-ch 29, 1957 2 Sheets-Shoot 1 k/ E 7." Pu TNAM.

E. T. PUTNAM 2,235,114

BUILDING BLOCK 2 snntksnut -2 March 18, 1941.

Filed latch 29, 1957 atented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES BUILDING BLOCK Erle T. Putnam, Detroit, Mich., assigner to `Libbey-(lwens--Ford Glass Company, Toledo,

Ohio

Application March 29, issaserial No. 133.601

8 Claims.

The present invention relates broadly to the construction of walls. especially the exterior Walls of buildings, and more particularly to an improved type of building block for use in the construction of such walls.

According to the invention, the building block herein provided is of a composite construction comprising a body portion formed from a'suitable plastic material such as concrete or the like and 10 an ornamental facing therefor consisting preferably of a sheet or plate of opaque glass, although ceramic tile may be used in some instances if desired. The ornamental face plate is iirmly secured to the body portion by an interposed layer of stiitablel adhesive material such as asphaltic mastic cement and also by mechanical fastening meansengaging both the ornamental face plate and body portion. Invconstructing a wall with building blocks of the invention, the blocks are laid up in courses in substantially the same manner as cut stone, granite, or terra cotta, being preferably anchored `to a rear or foundation wall.

i .an important object of the invention is the provision of improved mechanical `fastening means for securing the glass or other ornamental face plate to the body portion of the block in a manner to iirmly lock the said facing and body. portion together whereby all danger of the facing becoming accidentally displaced will be elimimated.

Another important object of the invention is the provision of improved mechanical fastening means engaging both the glass or other ornamental face plate and the body portion and being of auch construction and arrangement` that when the blocks are laid up in courses in a wall, the

. face plates will not support any of the structural load oi! the walll thereby reducing to a minimum liability of breakage or chipping of the 4:0 said facing.

Still another important object of the invention is the provision of mechanical fastening means oi the above character including metal frame members having portions engaging the edges oi.

45 the glass or other ornamental face plate and other portions embedded in the body portion of the block and wherein the metal frame members have load bearing surfaces projecting beyond the edges of the face plate opposite the body portion 5o so that when the blocks are laid up in a wall,

the structural load of the wall will be borne entlrely by the body portions of the said blocks, while the face plates of vertically adjacent blocks will be spaced slightly from one another to re- 56 ceive caulklng material therebetween.

A still further important object of the invent-ien is the provision of a composite building block of the above characterrwherein the edges of the glass or other ornamental face plate are preferably beveled and the metal frame members have 5 iianges engaging the said beveled edges, in combination with a layer of suitable adhesive material between the facing and body portion which serves not only to bond the said facing to the body portion but also to cushion the facing lo against shock and blows while at the same time permitting relative expansion and contraction of the facing and body portion to minimize breakage or loosening of the former.

Other objects and advantages of the invention 15 will become more apparent during the course of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the 20 same,

Fig. 1 is a iront elevation of a portion of a wall constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the wall taken substantially on line 2--2 of Fig. 1; 25

Fig. 3 is a front view of one of the glass or other ornamental face plates and the metal frame members associated therewith, the face plate being partially broken away to more clearly show the frame members; and 30 Fig. 4 is a perspective 'sectional view of one oi the metal frame members.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, A designates the rear or founda..d

tion wall and B the front or exterior Wall con- 35 structed of the improved building blocks herein provided. While the rear wall A is shown as consisting of conventional bricks or blocks IIl`laid in the usual manner with mortar Il, the saidv wall may be of any other construction.

The building blocks used in constructing the exterior wall B may be of any desired contour but as shown in Fig. 1 the said blocks, designated in their entirety by the numeral I2, are rectangular, and this is of course the most conventional shape although they may obviously be of any particular shape or shapes desired. Each building block I2 is of a composite construction comprising a body portion I3 formed of a plastic material such as concrete or the like, and an ornamental facing I4 preferably consisting of a sheet or plate of opaque glass, although ceramic tile or face plates of other materials may be used in some cases. Therefore, while the face plate will be hereinafter referred to as being of glass, it will be understood that a face plate of any desired satisfactory material may be employed without departing from the invention.

The glass face plate I4 covers substantially the entire front surface 0f the concrete body portion I3 and interposed between the said facing and body portion is a relatively thick, substantially uniform layer of suitable adhesive material I5, preferably an asphaltic mastic cement, which serves not only to bind the facing to the body portion but also permits relative expansion and contraction between the two without danger of the face plate becoming broken or accidentally displaced. The layer of adhesive material I5 also serves to cushion the face plate against shock and blows, thereby increasing its resistance to breakage.

Arranged at each edge of the face plate I4 is a metal holder of the construction shown in Fig. 4 and these holders cooperate to form a frame extending entirely around the perimeter of the block for mechanically securing the said face plate to the body portion. Each of these holders or frame members comprises a longitudinally extending channel shaped portion I'I which, as best shown in Fig. 2, is received between the face plate I4 and the body portion I3 of the block. The outer wall I8 of the channeled portion I'I constitutes a shoulder which abuts the rear surface of the face plate and extending forwardly therefrom is a flange I9 adapted to engage the respective edge 20 of the face plate. The edges 20 of the face plate are preferably outwardly beveled and the flanges I9 of the ,frame members are arranged at an acute angle with respect to the shoulder I8 so as to snugly t over the beveled edges 20, thereby firmly tying the face plate to the body portion as will be later apparent.

The inner wall 2l of the channeled portion I'I constitutes a shoulder which engages the outer surface of the body portion I3, said shoulder projecting slightly beyond the outer shoulder I8, 'and extending at right angles with respect thereto is` .ing in an inwardly directed flange 24 which is embedded in the concrete body portion I3.

In fabricating the block I2, the glass face plate I4 is rst laid horizontally on a suitable support and one of the metal frame members positioned at each side of the plate so that the outer shoulder I8 of thechanneled portion I'I' rests on the rear surface of the face plate. Suitable clamping means are provided for holding the metal frame members in proper position and the flanges I9 thereof in firm snug engagement with the beveled edges 20 of the facing. The mastic or other adhesive material I5 in a semi-liquid state is then poured upon the back of the face plate to cover substantially the entire surface thereof and to form a layer of a thickness approximately equal to the depth of the channeled portion I1. The cement or other plastic material forming the body portion I3 is then deposited on top of the layer of mastic to cover the same and to completely fill the space defined by the metal frame members. A suitable mold can also be built up around the'frame members if desired to permit the molded body portion I3 to be made considerably thicker than the width of the said frame members from the shoulder 2I to the flange 24, as shown in Fig. 2, and when this is done it wall A in some suitable manner such as by means of tie members 2'5. These members are shown as consisting of corrugated flexible metal strips embedded in the body portion I3 of the block and also in the mortar "II between the blocks III of the rear wall A. The advantage in making the tie members 25 flexible is so that if the joints in' the rear wall A do notlzcoincide with the spacing of the tie members, thesaid tie members can be bent to conform to the joints in the rear wall as shown in Fig. 2. In laying the blocks I2 of wall B, they are preferably spaced from the wall A and interposed between the two is a layer of mortar 26.

Due to the fact that the load bearing surfaces 22 of the metal frame members project beyond the edges of the face plate I4,".`there will be formed around the edges of the bodyA portion I3 a continuous ledge 21 which also projects slightly beyond the edges of the said face plate. As a result, when the blocks are laidp in courses in a wall, the load bearing surfaces]A 22 of vertically adjacent blocks will engage one another while the edges of the adjacent face plates will be spaced slightly from each other and in this space is adapted to be inserted a suitable caulking material 28. This caulking material may be applied by means of a spray gun and will ordinarily ll the mating channels of the adjacent frame members. With such a construction, the structural load of the wall will be supported entirely by the body portions of the blocks with none of the load being placed upon the face plates. In other words, the load of one block is transferred to the next lower block directly through the contacting load bearing surfaces 22 of the metal frame members and each block takes the full strain of the blocks above it. Since it is impossible for the vertically adjacent face plates to engage one another when the blocks are put in place, the strain upon the said face plates will be reduced to a minimum, thereby eliminating breakage and chipping thereof.

The construction of the block is such that the face plate does not support any of the load when the block is set into the wall and the layer of adhesive material between the face plate and body portion takes care of any differences in expansion and contraction between fthe two materialsf thus minimizing danger of breakage of the face plate under expansion or contraction. Also, the uniform layer of adhesive material I5 provides a cushion for the face 4plate t-o minimize the liability of breakage thereof. The channeled portion I'I of each frame member can yield to a. certain extent in expansion and contraction and also provides a semi-spring support for the flange I9 Winch engages the beveled edge .2U of the face plate. By this combination of mechanical fastening means and adhesive material, the face plate is firmly secured to the body portion with practically no danger whatever of Iits becoming accidentally displaced.

When the blocks are mounted in place, the

body portions I3 of vertically adjacent blocks will also be spaced from one another inwardly of the load bearing surfaces 22 and this space can be lled with a layer of mortar 29. As the flange-s I9 of the metal frame members terminate slightly inwardly of the outer surface of the glass face plate, the caulking material 28 will conceal the said flanges and give the appearance of a wall built up of only the glass face plates as these plates will be the only parts of the blocks exposedto view. This will result in a wall of exceptionally pleasing and attractive appearance. The caulking material is also adapted t-o be inserted in the vertical joints between horizontally spaced blocks.

One of the most important advantages of the improved type of block herein disclosed is that it removes .the restriction which has been placed upon the use of structural glass on building fronts in practically every large city through the use of the mechanical fastening means which eiectively ties the glass facing to the masonry backing and the uniform layer of mastic which prevents small pieces of the glass from falling il? the glass should be broken. Also, the blocks may be made in thicknesses of four or eight inches to bond into the Wall and thus answer all code requirements for load bearing waills.

It is to be understood that the form 'of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as the preferred embodiment of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

This application constitutes a continuation in part of my application filed May 21, 1936, Serial No. 81,064, and entitled Face block for buildings and method of making same.

I claim:

l. A building block of the character described comprising a body portion formed from a plastic material, a face plate covering a surface of the body' portion, said body portion having a ledge projecting beyond the edges of the face plate in a plane parallel with the plane of said face plate, and means for securing the face plate to the Ibody portion including a metal `frame member arranged at each edge orf the block 'and having a portion engaging t-he respective edge of said face plate; another portion engaging said body portion; and an intermediate portion covering the outer edge :of the ledge on said body portion and providing a load bearing surface fior carrying the load of the wall when the blocks are laid up in a wall and for spacing the i'ace plates of vertically adjacent blocks from one another when said blocks are placed one upon the other whereby said face plates do not support any load of the wall.

2. A building .block oithe character described comprising a body portion formed from a plastic material, a face plate covering a surface of the body portion and having its edges beveled, said body portion having a ledge projecting beyond the edges of the face plate in a plane paraliel with the yplane of said face plate, and means for securing the face plate to the body portion including a metal frame member arranged at each edge of the block and having a nange engaging the respective beveled edge of said face plate; a second flange embedded in said body portion; and an yintermediate portion covering the outer edge of the ledge on said body portion and providing a load bearing surface for carrying the load of the wall when the blocks are laid up in a wall and for spacing the face plates of vertically adjacent blocks from one another when said blocks are placed one upon the other Whereby said face plates do not support any load of the wall.

3. A buildin-g block yof the character described, comprising a load bearing body portion, a nonload bearing face plate associated with one surface of said body portion, metallic members carried by the body portion and having portions engaging the face plate to hold the same in position and other portions disposed between the back of the face plate and the body portion and spacing said face plate from said body'portion, said body portion extending beyond the edges of the face plate in a plane parallel with the plane of said face plate and also beyond those portions of the metallic `members engaging said face plate for carrying the load of 'the Wall when the blocks are laid up in a wall and for spacing the face plates of vertically adjacent blocks from one another when said blocks are placed one upon the other whereby said face plates do not support any load of the wall.

4. A building block of the character described,

yond the edges of the face plate in a plane parr allel with the plane of said face plate and also beyond the ilanges of said metallic members upon the load supporting sides of the block to such an extent that when the blocks are laid up in a wall the face plates and corresponding metal flanges of vertically adjacent blocks will be spaced from one another so that said face plates will not support any of the load of the wall.

5. A building block of the character described, comprising a load bearing body portion, a nonload bearing face plate associated with one surface of said body portion, and metallic members for securing said face plate to said body portion, each metallic member comprising an outwardly facing channel portion arranged between the back of the face plate and the body portion and spacing said face plate from said body portion, one wall of said channel portion terminating in a forwardly directed flange engaging the respective edge of the face plate and the opposite wall of said channel portion terminating in a rearwardly directed portion embedded in said body portion, said body portion extending beyond the edges of the face plate in a plane parallel with the plane of said face plate and also beyond the flanges of said metallic members upon the load supporting sides of the block to such an extent tha-t lwhen the blocks are laid up in a wall upon one another the face plates and corresponding metal flanges of vertically adjacent blocks will be spaced from one another so that the said :face plates will not support any of the load lof the wall. i

6i A building block of the character described, comprising a load bearing body portion, a nonload bearing face plate associated with one surface of said body portion, said body portion having a ledge projecting beyond the edges of the face plate in the plane thereof, metallic members for securing said face plate to said body portion, each metallic member comprising an outwardly facing channel portion .arranged between the back of the face plate and the body portion and spacing said face plate from said body portion, one wall of said channel portion .terminating in a forwardly directed flange engaging the respective edge of the face plate and the opposite wall of said channel portion projecting beyond said first wall and terminating in a rearwardly directed portion covering the outer edge of the ledge on said lbody portion .to provide a load bearing surface, said ledge extending beyond'the edges of the face plate upon the load supporting sides of the block to suchan extent that when the blocks are laid up in courses in a wall, with the load bearing surfaces of the metallic members in engagement with one another, the face plates and corresponding metall anges of vertically adjacent blocks will be spaced from one another so that the said face plates will not support any ofthe load of the wall.

7. A building block of the character described, comprising a .body portion formed from a cementitious material, a face plate covering a surface of Ithe body portion, said body portion having a ledge projecting beyond the edges of the face plate in a p'lane parallel with the plane of said face plate, and means for securing the face plate `to the body portion including a metal frame member arranged -a-t each edge of the block and having a portion engaging the respective edge oi said face plate; another portion engaging said body portion; and a further portion covering the outer edge of the ledge on said body portion and providing a load bearing surface for carrying the load of the wall when the blocks are laid up in a wall and for spacing -the face plates of vertically adjacent blocks from one another when said blocks are placed one upon the other, whereby said face plates do not support any load of the wall.

8. A building block of the character described, comprising a body member formed from a cementitious material, a face plate covering a surface of the body member, said body member having a portion projecting beyond the edgesv of the face plate in a plane parallel with the plane of said face plate, and means for securing the face plate to the body member :including a metal frame member arranged at each edge of the block and having a portion engaging the respective edge of said face plate; another portion engaging said body member; and a further portion disposed opposite the `outer edge of the projecting portion of said body member in contact therewith and providing a load bearing surface for carrying the load of the wall when fthe blocks are laid up in a wall and for spacing the face plates of vertically adjacent blocks from one another when said blocks are placed one upon the other whereby said face plates do not support any load of the wall.

ERLE T. PUTNAM. 

